Cincinnati Playwrights Initiative

GOOD NEWS!!!

ONE-YEAR ANNIVERSARY!

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Thanks to our own ED Trach for setting the corner stone for the Playwriting Salon, a milestone in CPI’s thirteen years of existence. We now celebrating its 1-year anniversary.

CPI Playwriting Salon is our creative meeting venue.

Unless otherwise noted, the Playwriting Salon, will return every fourth Sunday of the month for a three-hour session, staring at 7:00 PM.

All CPI Informal Cold Readings are incorporated in the new CPI venue, CPI Playwriting Salon.

Please e-mail Chair Kalman Kivkovich for reservations: kivi1@cinci.rr.com or call (513) 861-0004.

Our Salon is free and open to Members and Nonmembers. It actually works; it draws more people and at every event we get a few to join our ranks.

CPI Playwriting Salon

Reservations are required, and we ask those who come to bring an appetizer and beverage to share.

Please e-mail Chair Kalman Kivkovich for reservations: kivi1@cinci.rr.com

or call (513) 861-0004.

CPI thanks former Guest Speakers.

Kevin Crowley . . Arnie Shayne . Alan Jozwiak . . Renee Alper . . D. Lynn Meyers

Ed Stern . . . . . Nancy Gall-Clayton . . Ken Jones . . . Joe McDonough

We are grateful to members who give their time to help with the Salon

. . .

. .Alan Jozwiak . . . .Kalman Kivkovich . . Sandi Kivkovich . . .Phil Clayton . .

. .

. . . . . . .Karen Kelly. . . .Juan Miller. . . . . . . Jeff Landen . . . . .

Another GREAT evening at the salon - February 28 - with Playwright Joe McDonough. He talked about his approach to playwriting.

Sunday, March 28, 2010 at 7 PM – Guest Speaker:

Enquirer theater critic Jackie Demaline

Topic: "Theater, Media, Playwriting, and anything else you want to know :)"

Jackie Demaline

FREE EVENT!!!

About Jackie Demaline:

Jackie has started her career in Cleveland, reviewing theater, film, dance and opera. Before coming to Cincinnati she had spent several years in upstate New York as entertainment editor (and primary theater critic) for the Albany Time-Union. She has been theater critic and arts reporter at the Enquirer since 1994.
Jackie has won numerous awards for arts criticism and arts reporting in a 30-year career.

Our location is:

French Hall, University of Cincinnati, 2815 Commons Way (formerly 2824 Scioto Street), corner of W. University Ave. off Jefferson Ave, 4th Floor, Room 4614.

Directions:

It is on the East side of West UC campus. If you go on Jefferson Ave, park your car near intersection with University Ave. Walk toward the campus. Turn left at the rotunda (circle) and go on Commons Way to the 1st building on the right French Hall. Go in and take the elevator to the 4th floor. As you get out of the elevator, turn left to end of hall and then left again to end of hall and then right.. Look for room 4614.

Important Note: At times, Campus Security might lock one of the doors with our signs (‘CPI’). If you find it to be the case, just go around the building, 180°, and try the other door.

For MapQuest:

French Hall’s actual address is 2815 Commons Way, but for MapQuest enter the former address,

2824 Scioto Street, Cincinnati, Ohio 45219.

Reservations are required, and we ask those who come to bring an appetizer and beverage to share.

Please e-mail Chair Kalman Kivkovich for reservations: kivi1@cinci.rr.com

or call (513) 861-0004.

CPI Playwriting Salon is a new “initiative” for Cincinnati Playwrights Initiative: to explore the feasibility of providing a creative forum that focuses on the issues and challenges of vital interest to members -- the art and craft of playwriting.

Content of Creative Meetings

The format and content of these creative meetings can be anything we choose to make them.

1. Cold Readings / Feedback

The principal value of cold readings is that they are easy to set up and require no rehearsal time, yet they can provide valuable feedback.

Presenting playwrights must be CPI Members, but event is open to the public.

Volunteer actors read the play, doubling roles as necessary.
We can schedule two short works in one cold-reading session, with feedback after each.

2. Playwriting Workshop (Members only)

Smaller group meets to solve problems in their scripts-in-progress.

3. Guest Speakers

There’s a real value to inviting guest artists to speak to us: it can provide valuable learning about their talents and areas of expertise, strengthen our ties to the local theater community, and let others learn more about CPI.

A director might speak to us about the challenges of casting and directing a new play. Production traps. Subject matter.
An actor might describe the thinking and emotional process involved in creating a new character.
An artistic director might describe the fiscal risk in presenting a new play.

4. Creative Cabaret – A night of “anything goes”

Why not schedule an experimental night for any type of new work? Short scenes from a script-in-progress, 10-minute plays, “saloon tunes,” monologues, musical scenes, Improv -- a kind of “out loud“ creative brainstorming session strictly for fun, a way to get to know each other, but maybe to learn something too about taking chances and expanding our horizons.

5. Exploring Co-Production: A Local Theater And CPI

At least one local theater has expressed interest in a co-producing venture with CPI, assuming we share in the overhead cost of the box office, lights, sound, etc. which only seems fair since it is for our benefit.

6. Festival Of New Plays, Co-Production

“Staged Readings of The Best Plays from the New Voices Series.”

The idea is to select the best plays from recent New Voices Series and

present them as staged readings in a “Cincinnati Playwrights Festival.”

7. Etc . . .

We can schedule whatever new ideas we come up with as we learn more from the process.

MORE TO COME . . .

Always

Always Under Construction